Turning 50

Yes, on April 24^th of this year I will turn 50 years old. Where did the time go? I was born in 1960 to Harriett and Clifford Dudley — my mother was 30 years old and my dad just 27. I weighed 8 lbs 11 oz (sorry mom), and was born at 8:23 in the morning.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, on April 24^th I am going to give away a new Apple I-pad to some lucky fan of our Master Books’ Facebook page.  We will also be giving away one of our titles each week to one of our fans.

Now, back to turning 50. To be honest, I am not all that fired up about it – have never really cared about age in the past, but this one does put me firmly on the downward, back side, slippery slope of life. But there is a silver lining to all of this. For all of my comrades that were born in 1960, Silver Dollar City in Branson is turning 50 as well, so we get in free all year. Pretty cool! For now, I am in perfect health, my life is very full, and in 22 days I am off to Hawaii for a week of golf.

Take a moment now and become a fan of Master Books on Facebook. Maybe you’ll win!

Stars died for us?

I recently sent a YouTube link out to my staff with the comment, “Why we do what we do.”

We are the publishers of Master Books, an apologetics imprint started by Tim LaHaye and Dr. Henry Morris, and we’re standing in the gap as secular humanist voices in this country seem to grow ever louder.

The short clip is entitled, “Forget Jesus, the stars died for us.” Wow!  Whoever would have dreamed that the day would come that someone would say something like this and that a crowd would cheer? This nation is under attack like never before. People like Lawrence Krauss don’t just want to tell you about their religious views (yes, atheism is a religion); they want to attack yours, as well.

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God” (Psalm 14:1).

The decade we just came out of has attacked Christianity through the written word like never before.  Some of the recent best-selling religious titles include Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion), Sam Harris, (The End of Faith), Victor Stenger (God: The Failed Hypothesis), and Christopher Hitchens (God is Not Great). Yes, these titles for the most part are considered religious, but they all openly attack the Word of God.

I personally believe that the Word of God is alive and is the very breath of my Lord and Savior; from the very first verse to the last—yes, it is my “burning bush.” As God talked to Moses through a burning bush, God can talk to Tim Dudley through His Word.  We here at Master Books are willing to defend this holy Word of God at any cost.

What about you?

The Story of Saipan

I was recently at the Answers in Genesis headquarters for a board meeting. It is a huge privilege to serve on the board of this incredible ministry, and it always amazes me how God will use you if you are willing to make yourself available. But sadly, so many Christian men and women really don’t know what it means to make yourself available unconditionally, and they miss out on so much of God’s blessing.

Tim at podium

While I was there, I was asked to share a devotion with the staff, which I love to do. They recorded it, so I thought I would share it with you. It did include a PowerPoint presentation, so you will miss out on the pictures, but you will grasp the meaning of the message.

Please Click Here to listen to my devotion.

Tim with presentation

What was the power of God’s grace to transform one’s heart, life, and even one’s land?

My favorite definition of “grace” is: a favor rendered by one who need not do so; the unmerited favor of God.

The story of Saipan was my illustration for this message on the depth of grace.

Enjoy!

16 Signs That A Leader Has Lost His Mind

I came across this blog, thought  it was great, and wanted to pass this on. Made me stop and wonder whether I have lost my mind – will get back to you on that.

The article is written by Perry Noble [http://perrynoble.com] senior pastor of New Spring Church in South Carolina. Pastor Noble blogs about leadership, vision and creativity.

#1 – He refuses to admit his mistakes.

#2 – He begins to blame the problems on people or circumstances rather than actually seeking out what the problem might be.

#3 – He refuses to listen to the team assembled around him.

#4 – He fights every idea that isn’t his own, thinking his originality is what must keep the church afloat.

#5 – He refuses to face reality.

#6 – He is unwilling to make the necessary changes because it would be highly unpopular.

#7 – He tries to listen to what everyone has to say about every situation.

#8 – He begins to believe that God’s favor on his life is because of how good he is rather than because of how good God is!

#9 – He believes that he can’t learn anything from churches that are smaller than his.  (This would be arrogance!)

#10 – He abuses his staff to accomplish his agenda rather than leading them to accomplish God’s.

#11 – He fears asking for commitment because of how people may perceive him.

#12 – He becomes obsessed with the way things are rather than how they should be.

#13 – He views himself as an expert.

#14 – He tries to motivate with fear rather than vision.

#15 – He doesn’t seek fresh revelation from God and often goes back to what has been done instead of seeking direction for what has never been done.

#16 – He stops taking risks and becomes obsessed with playing it safe.

Wise Counsel

When my father passed away some 17 years ago and I took over the family business, I was determined to have wise counsel…godly men in my life. One of the weaknesses in my father’s life was that he did not have wise counsel at times in his life or in his business. Men can be very prideful at times and tend to just go their own way, struggling to accept guidance from others.

The path to wise counsel

The first thing I did was get a true board of directors at the press when I took over; men and women I felt had some real-life experience to bring to the table. Not just family members and buddies who would do anything I said, but people who would hold me accountable and would bring wise counsel into my life.

In our first board meeting I warned them there was no question that I would make mistakes, and I was right. But what I asked them was to make sure I did not make big ones that would bring down the company. They agreed and questioned me heavily whenever I was talking about spending 100k or more on a non-inventory item. At times this frustrated me, but in the end it was wise counsel and it kept me from making the big mistakes that could end it all.

• The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.  –Proverbs 12:15
• Prepare plans by consultation, And make ware by wise guidance.  –Proverbs 20:18
• For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in abundance of counselors there is victory. –Proverbs 24:6

I just got back from Jackson Hole, WY where I spent a week playing a little bit of golf and attending a 3-day board meeting. This board I serve on is a large para-church organization and has a staff of over 300. What impresses me most is that the leader of this organization desperately wants wise counsel.

Some might say, look at what he has built. What advice or counsel does he need? But he understands these truths of scripture and wants guidance. We have three face-to-face board meetings a year and as many phone conferences as needed. In my opinion, as long as the CEO of the organization lets the Lord lead him and is willing to always have boards, a leadership team, and family that will give him wise counsel and say the tough “no’s” at times, he will do just fine in the future.

Do you have or allow wise counsel in your life?

Failure 101

“While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.” — Henry C. Link

We recently published a book called Success Kills: Sidestep the Snares that Will Steal Your Dreams. My favorite chapter is called “Failure – Friend or Foe,” where it addresses how we should face failure.

The author, Wayde Goodall, says, “The church has no theology for failure.” Now let’s not confuse this word or sin; that is not what we are talking about at all. What we are talking about is in business or in life when we do or try something and it does not work. In other words, it “failed.” Now some of your friends, colleagues, and even church family will discuss the weakness of your faith, or unconfessed sin, to try and explain why your plan failed. I, too, have had people tell me this, and it would shake me up pretty good. In most cases your plan was just bad – don’t let people beat you down about your faith.

17 years ago when my dad died, I took over the business for good. I was on my own. I had no college education, my father and mentor was gone, all I had was my experience of growing up around my dad and overhearing hundreds of conversations. Of course, I had a heavenly Father and an earthly praying mother – important keys to success.

So what did I do as a young businessman while getting my feet under me? I made a lot of mistakes! Yes, failing was a monthly habit, and I did it a lot of it over the next 2-3 years. But with each failure came a huge blessing, and a life lesson that would stay with me forever. As the years moved on, (year 5 bought another company), I made less and less mistakes. And of these lessons that I learned, I put to use moving forward, and they turned into blessings.

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford

As I think back, there is nothing like trying something on your own and learning. You can blame no one, all you can do is take it on the chin and say, “I tried it and it did not work. Won’t do that again – moving on.”

You might be reading this and saying: “OK, got it, Tim! What is the big deal?” You might be surprised to know that there are a lot of people out there who do the same things over and over and keep failing and failing. Their pride will not let them be aware that it is a terrible idea and they need to move on. I have watched many times, and I always ask myself, why are they doing that again? Humble yourself before the Lord, the staff, your spouse, your family and say it was a mistake and put it behind you.

Definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.

“Success is a terrible teacher.” –Bill Gates.

Change.

Who likes change? On the surface, I hate it. I am a creature of habit so don’t mess with me. I have around a dozen favorite restaurants that I go to often, and at each place I order the same thing. At one  diner I have been going to since high school (Master Chef) I have ordered a #3 for over 30 years.

No change please!!!!!!!!!

Yet change is everywhere in our culture. It is at work, at church, and in the home; it is all consuming. So what is a creature like me to do?  At times I really do fight it, yet I understand the need for change, and at times I even embrace it. Below I am going to list some examples of change:

Example # 1: I now have two authors who are close friends both pastoring churches with multiple campuses. I am assuming a decade or two ago this was some dark, unforgivable sin. What a prideful thing to do or think, preaching to different audiences, at different times, in different locations. WOW! As much as I hate change, both of these churches are very cool and touching eternity in mighty ways. Transformations of the heart (changes) are taking place.

Eternal change!

Example #2: My father was in the publishing business his whole life. He would be shocked at the changes in this business. He started at Moody Press in the 60’s, Creation House in the 70’s, and started New Leaf Press in 1975. In April of this year he will have been with the Lord for 17 years, but I often wonder what he would think of the world we live in now. The language that we speak in publishing, including POD (print-on-demand), E-Pub, Amazon, online marketing and Kindle, all of these phrases would be very foreign to him. He would think he was hearing words from his favorite TV show, Star Trek.

Even the way people read books has all changed; it’s not just paper on ink anymore. It’s on one’s computer, on their phone, iPod, Mobipocket, Kindle, and many others. My two sons are going to spend the whole summer putting our books into different ebook formats. We are uploading 4-5 titles a week to Amazon Kindle now – the boys are getting faster and faster. I hope to have several hundred up by the end of summer. Whoever would have thought we would be doing this. While the boys were growing up, they spent most of their summers shipping books in the warehouse, but they are now shipping books electronically.

Cool change!

Example #3: There were 275,000 books published last year by traditional publishing houses. There were 250,000 books published in print-on-demand format by authors themselves and by self-publishing companies. I don’t think anybody ever dreamed this would happen. Now if anybody has a few nickels, they can print and publish their own book, but marketing it remains a big issue.

Tons of change – too many books!

Example #4: At the Press, we just finished a 12-page, 8 ½ x 11 brochure on the need for social networking for our authors. Tips on things they can do to increase their Amazon sales, telling them to read Seth Godin’s blog, read his book, Tribes, and start an online tribe of their own through blogs, websites, Facebook, Twitter, and the list goes on. We are going to do a special mailing to our authors asking them to engage in this changing marketplace. It will be interesting to see how they respond. I can just about guess the response will reflect their age levels. The young will embrace it, while the old will think I am crazy.

Hard change!

Example #5: Several years ago one of my employees was asked to learn a new computer program. We were going to send this employee to a seminar to learn it. No big deal, right? Well, this person said they were not interested in learning this new program and that was it. Well, one year later the world had passed them by and their skill set was just not needed.

No change!

The fact of the matter is, change is a part of life, and you can either embrace it or you can fight it. Even though I hate change, I realize I have to, life and my business demand it. If I was not open to change, my business would have already failed, and that is a fact. Yet many of my colleagues will not change and they are struggling to stay in business. Some have MBAs, are very smart men and women, but change is just too hard and they would rather quit than change.

I was listening to a talk radio program the other day. This lady was talking about her husband, how he had asked her to forgive her for his wrongdoing, and said he was going to change. So she asked the talk show host how long this would take, and the host said, “It could happen overnight or it could take 20 years, it depends on how open his heart is to change.” I thought that was a good answer. So your heart is the key, it can lead us to new and exciting opportunities or it can stall us, limiting our lives and the impact that we have on this world.

As I have stressed the need for change, there always needs to be wisdom and a discerning spirit to go with it. Change for change’s sake is not needed or necessary. There are non-negotiables in life that should never change: purpose, faith, morals, and the love for your family. These need to be constant. Stay and finish strong on your core foundational principles that guide your life.

I would love to hear from you. What changes are you resisting today?

Focus

What is your focus in business? What is your niche? Is your focus serving your true customer base well?

Last fall I was reading a blog and this person recommended a book called Focus: The Future of Your Company Depends on It. Well, to say the least, I could not put it down. It hit me right where I live – or perhaps, where I need to be living. In these tough economic times we need to be more focused than we have ever been in the past.

 

Focus.

 

The book discussed companies large and small that had lost their focus. Many of these companies were Fortune 500 companies that had lost millions developing products and services that made no sense – they were off focus. What this really means is these companies developed a product or a service for a non-customer. When I read this sentence in the book, it really struck a cord with me. The authors stated that when most companies grow to the $5 or $10 million mark in sales, the owner or president needs to bring in help. Managers and VPs usually bring a box or an idea with them; these ideas and boxes can cause a company to lose focus on their core customer base.

When I read these words I thought to myself, is he talking about me – is he talking about New Leaf Publishing Group? Around 8 to 9 years ago I hired a VP of Marketing out of the gift industry to help me market my growing line of award-winning gift books. Instead, he talked me into starting a line of gift products. So what I did was start selling candles, potpourri, note pads, and pen sets for which I had no customers. Is that not interesting that I would do something stupid, yet at the time be certain it was the right thing to do? Of course, things did not go well and it was a very costly mistake. And besides the losses associated with the gift line, my customer base suffered, as well, because I was not focused on them. I ignored my core customer for maybe two years because I was trying to be all things to all people.

As I went on to read the whole book, what was so amazing is that some of the largest corporations in the world made the same mistake many times over – guys with MBAs from Harvard. Why do we do this? I guess because we think it is a great way to grow a company and expand sales. Well, this book proved to me it is a terrible idea that simply doesn’t work. What works is to focus on your customer – stay in your niche – and serve this base well. Of course, to do this you need to have a very clear understanding of who your customer base is and what they want, so we have been asking ourselves that question and really drilling down like never before.

What is so interesting is this principle can be applied in several areas of your life, as well. In your personal life, in your walk with the Lord, the book could have been titled, Focus: The Future of Your Family or Your Church Depends on It. I have the privilege of serving on several boards and I have shared this message with them, as well. Let’s all stay true to our mission, our calling, our strength, and our true focus.

Faith in Action

Two years ago I went to Scotland with a couple of buddies of mine to play some golf. The second day of our trip we played one of the most famous golf courses in the entire world – the Old Course at St. Andrews where golf began in 1450. It was everything that you ever dreamed of if you are a golfer. It was a bigger-than-life experience.

Tim on the 18th tee, town of St. Andrews in background.

We made reservations 6 months in advance and you had to have a handicap of 20 or less to get on the course. We would be playing with caddies (something I had never done before), it was very expensive and, to say the least, I was very nervous.

As the time drew near to our 1:00 PM tee time, my heart rate began to climb and all of a sudden I had no faith in my swing or my game. About 10 minutes before our tee time, we met our caddies. They looked very Scottish, very old school, and they fit the scene. I did not.

My caddie, Randall, wanted to know what my handicap was and he started to look at my clubs. I told him to not even take the head cover off the driver since I would be hitting the 3 wood. I simply had no confidence in my driver that week. The moment came and the starter called our names on a loud speaker for all the world to hear.

Caddies with Brad, Tim & Mike, end of day 1, St. Andrews

It was 1:00 in the afternoon and there was a lunch crowd watching – maybe 50-75 people or so wandering up and down the road by the first tee box.

My mouth was dry and I felt like I was about to have a heart attack. Why had I come here? I was not a good enough golfer to be here. I was in full panic. I began to pray that I would not embarrass myself on the first tee.

Well, I managed to hit a ball off the tee fairly well and the day turned into an incredible experience. The weather was perfect, my caddie made me feel at home, I hit a 7 iron to within 10 feet of the pin on the 18th hole, and shot an 89 on April 24th – my 46th birthday. God is good.

Why do you think I was so nervous? Because I had never been there before, had not been in that situation, and was not comfortable with my surroundings. I had no faith in the moment because it was a new and unfamiliar one.

That night as we were eating dinner – celebrating my 46th birthday – we all decided to try and play there again the next day. It was such an awesome experience and we wanted to see if they might have had any cancellations. There was one at 3:00 PM and we played again. But this time on the tee I was not nervous like I was the day before. Look what 1 day did; look how much my faith increased in just 24 hours. How could this be?

What does faith mean? Trustworthiness in a person, belief, truth, confidence.

Faith is the fuel for belief! With no faith, we believe in nothing, not ourselves, not in God.

You see, the second day at St. Andrews everything had changed because I had been there before, I had succeeded, I got through it. So I had belief that I could do it.

What are some other first-time events in my life that I was nervous about? Here are just a few:

• First time I called on Wal-Mart  and did a sales presentation
• First time I spoke in public about my business
• First time I spoke in public about my Lord and Savior
• First time I shared my faith with a close friend

Yes, all of the above were very nervous times. I was not confident. I was unsure. But the more I did it, the more confident I became and my faith grew.

You see, faith is a muscle, and like all muscles in your body, it has to be used to grow and get stronger. I was having dinner with a customer the other night and my 19-year-0ld son sent me a text message: “in the 300 lb. club – put up 310 on the bench.” Now that did not happen overnight; that was 2 years of work.

Lifting weights

With faith all things are possible.

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matt. 19:26

“…I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matt. 17:20

“For nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

“”And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Heb. 11:6

When the Lord sees your faith in action, it brings Him so much joy He can hardly stand it. When He sees us trusting in Him, His favor is all over us.

Are you in the middle of something that is bigger than you? If not, then you are not exercising your faith, and your faith will not grow. We should always be involved in something that needs a huge move of God in our lives – we need to be exercising  our faith, making that muscle strong.

If you own your own business, I am sure your faith is being tested right now. If you are trying to sell a house, I am sure your faith is being tested right now. If you are looking for a job, I am sure your faith is being tested right now.

The economy is in a rough situation, consumer confidence is at an all-time low. Have faith that what you are going through will make you stronger.

Reflect on this verse: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops endurance.” James 1:2-3

The Lord has a plan for your life, but you need to be stronger to take on this awesome plan that He has for you. He is building your faith, making you strong like a lion, so you will be able to take on what lies ahead, the good and the bad.

Let me tell you the most powerful thing you can do for the Kingdom is to let the world see your faith lived out. your beliefs acted upon. If you will do this one thing, you could change the world for the cause of Christ.

Then you stand up and say, “My God is enough. My God loves me and His grace is sufficient. He is my rock, on HIM shall I stand.” The world will be drawn to you, the world will want what you have. Then you can touch eternity.

“There is nothing remotely passive about being part of the Kingdom of God. We are called to forcefully advance the cause of Christ. Faithfulness is not holding the fort. Faithfulness is storming the gates of Hell.” – Mark Batterson, Wild Goose Chase

Tell Your Story

We all have a story to tell – and we can use that story to influence people into the Kingdom. I have been involved with a men’s Bible study for around eight years or so. One of the things we love to do is to have men share their story of redemption and God’s saving grace to other men. It can be very powerful in the hearts and minds of us men – we are always so surprised to hear where someone has been in life and where they are now. God’s grace is truly amazing, and something we will never totally understand.

David Tresslor sharing his testimony

After hearing someone’s story of grace, another guy will usually lead us in a short devotion. I asked Curtis Matthews to type a little something up that he shared at the last Bible study. Curtis is one of the original founders of the group and it is always a blessing when he can join us; his job keeps him away from us too much.

I recently asked several men (16 to be exact) at a home Bible study to think of some names that are synonymous with sinful lives. I gave the example of wretchedness and wickedness. Then I asked for some names of sins we hear about from the pulpit. It was stunning, everyone drew a blank. John Newton, who penned “Amazing Grace” sang “a wretch like me.” We don’t use words like that anymore. We have changed the names of sin and our lives conditions to other names like choice, alternative lifestyles, addicts, personality disorders, so on and so forth.

In the third chapter of Romans (verses 10-20) we read that none are righteous, no not one. None of us seek God. We can disguise sin and sinful lifestyles all we want, but the bottom line is we are still sinning and lead sinful lives according to the law.

The good news however, is in the rest of the chapter. God pursues us, the law can’t justify, it can only reveal who we are. Christ is the one who justifies, and we can be free from all sin by grace through faith. The rest of the chapter also talks about propitiation, another word we don’t hear about anymore. It literally means “mercy seat”, and God sees us through the “mercy seat of Christ.” That is, those who truly have faith in Jesus. If we are forgiven through the mercy seat, then we don’t have to live in the past or worry about tomorrow. We can bask in the glory of God’s grace today as Rob Bell so eloquently shared in his Nooma video entitled “Today.”

The good news in all of this is that Jesus doesn’t change. Our culture may change, or diction may change and the pulpit may lighten up on sin, but Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light. Sin is sin, and the redeemed of Christ are redeemed no matter their past.

Thanks Curtis for all you do and are doing for the Kingdom. I would encourage all of us to “Tell Our Story” this day and be an encouragement. For we have been given this free gift of grace, and it is most powerful when we share it.

Meeting at the Men's Study Group